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Creativity, Ephemera, Junk Journal Making, Paper Arts, Tink's Tips for Junk Journaling, Tools and Supplies
How to Save Paper When Using a Whale Tail Punch (Junk Journal Tip)
Whale tail tabs are one of the most popular elements in junk journaling. They’re useful, decorative, and add that layered, dimensional look that makes handmade journals feel special. But if you’re using a punch to make them, you may be wasting more paper than you realize. Today, I want to show you a simple method to maximize your paper and get more whale tail tabs from every sheet. The Original Whale Tail Punch The original whale tail punch from Stampin’ Up is no longer in production, but many crafters still use them. You can often find them: on eBay at thrift stores at garage sales They’re sturdy, reliable, and perfect…
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Creativity, Ephemera, Junk Journal Making, Organizing and Storage, Tink Recommends:, Tools and Supplies
Tink Recommends: Paper Crafting Tools to Hold Pieces While Glue Dries
I will admit, there are times when I wish I had three hands 😉 Sometimes, getting something to stay in the right configuration until the glue dries is the hardest part of a project! Today, I’m sharing two simple paper crafting tools that I use every day to solve that problem: Paper clips (with a simple storage upgrade) Scotch Removable Tape (a reusable temporary adhesive) These tools help hold paper pieces in place without damage, shifting, or frustration. Tool #1: Paper Clips for Holding Paper in Place Paper clips are one of the simplest and most effective tools for holding paper layers together while glue dries. However, standard paper clip…
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Creativity, Grunge Style, Junk Journal Making, Steampunk, Tink's Tips for Junk Journaling, Tools and Supplies
Tink’s Tip: Using Glitter Glue for a Grunge-Style Junk Journal Finish
I’ll admit it right up front… I’m not a Glitter Girl. I’m much more at home in the world of vintage, distressed, and grunge-style junk journals. But every once in a while, a project calls for something a little outside my usual comfort zone. This was one of those times. 😉 The Problem: What to Do with Tiny Detail Holes I was working on a junk journal page featuring a stencil-style letter “D” (for Dog). The letter itself looked great, but it had small holes in each corner — the kind that are meant to suggest rivets or fasteners. Normally, you might use tiny brads for something like that, but…
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Creativity, Ephemera, Grunge Style, Junk Journal Ephemera, Junk Journal Making, Paper Arts, Steampunk, Tink's Tips for Junk Journaling, Tools and Supplies
How to Use Distressed Tape in Junk Journals (Simple Techniques That Make Pages Feel Real)
Inspiration, Motivation, and Celebration for your junk journaling What is Distressed Tape in Junk Journals? If you’ve ever wondered how to make junk journal pages look more real, distressed tape is one of the simplest ways to do it. Distressed tape is regular clear or cello tape that has been altered (usually with ink or stain) to give it an aged, vintage look. It’s often used in junk journals to: • make ephemera look naturally attached • add realism to collage pages • create hinged or interactive elements • add subtle texture and layering 🌿 Inspiration – A Little Detail I Always Come Back To When I’m putting together junk…
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Creativity, Ephemera, Grunge Style, Junk Journal Ephemera, Junk Journal Making, Tink's Tips for Junk Journaling, Tools and Supplies
Stamps that fit the original Whale Tail Tabs…
I’m working on a pair of Junk Journals (you can see them open at the top of the picture) I recently purchased a set of fun alphabet and number stamps. They hook together, making it easy to form words. Today I realized that four letters fit well on the classic whale tail tabs, in the 7 x 5mm size. You can see how they link together at the bottom of the picture. Here are some examples of how I used them… (Yellow Post-its are there to mark pages that still need embellishments 😉 ) Here they are on Amazon: Here is their Amazon link. Note – You get two sets!…
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Asian Themed, Christmas, Creativity, Junk Journal Making, Organizing and Storage, Tools and Supplies, Upcycling/Recycling
Composition Book Box for Christmas
I’m getting started on my Christmas gifts for this year. I have a few friends and family I like to make presents for, especially when I can find a good project. 😉 Thanks to Sherry – The Posh Paper Lady on YouTube – I have the perfect project. It is a two-part project. The first part is decorating composition books, which I wrote about here: https://junkjournalephemera.com/decorating-composition-books-with-asian-art/ The second part of the project is creating a lovely book box, designed to hold four composition books. Here is a link to Sherry’s video on YouTube: Here is my version, decorated with Asian Designs from my Etsy shop. I used kraft paper cardstock…
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Custom Boxes for Storage
I often build and decorate custom boxes for my Junk Journal supplies. Most recently I got a large number of Tempera Paint Sticks and wanted to put them into an easy to handle, sturdy storage solution. The hardest part of this was figuring out the inner box dimensions. This isn’t a perfect fit but it works well, so I’ll keep it. 😉 This storage box was constructed out of chipboard, covered in Kraft paper cardstock and decorated with washi tape.
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Vintage Office Stamps
In the last year or so, I have scored some wonderful vintage office stamps on eBay. They are in desperate need of organization, which I might work on today. 😉 We’re getting a new, custom made storm door installed and my office is right off the front hall and steps away from the door, so I’ll likely be hanging out in case the crew needs anything. I just finished some gifts for the OWLs (Our retired lunching buddies – OWL stands for Others Who Lunch.) J, my husband, wanted to be surprised with the other OWLs. He hasn’t seen them yet, so I’ll post those pictures later in the week.…
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Vintage Encyclopedia and Junk Journal Planner
In 2023, I bought a wonderful set of old encyclopedias on eBay. They were actually Annuals and were in a replaceable binder format. In a haze of excitement, I decided to make 9 Junk Journal Calendar/Planners to give as Christmas gifts to family and close friends. I started in July. (What was I thinking? lol) I did finish them in time, although it was close, since 6 of them had to be mailed. Fast forward to late 2024. Jeffrey, my DH (Dear Husband) ACTUALLY used his. He tracks his medical readings every morning and used his to do so. He requested a set of 2025 calendar pages for one of…
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Ephemera, Grunge Style, Junk Journal Ephemera, Junk Journal Kits, Tink's Tips for Junk Journaling, Tools and Supplies
Using Full Sheet Label Paper
I love to use full sheet label paper for my small labels. I age the label paper sheet first before printing it with the label shapes. I either print with an aged paper background image or I distress with ink and interesting stencils. When the label shapes are printed on and then cut out, they have a lovely, randomly distressed look.
